Hidden Behind A Mask No More
by lesipiratecat
Summary: Gibbs reluctantly attends a masquerade party with Fornell and meets a green eyed man with a green mask. As he finds himself falling in love with the mystery man, he is set on a path he'd never seen coming. Tibbs slash!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any of its characters or locations. This story is simply for my enjoyment and the joy of sharing it with others.

Note: this is a slash story. If that's not your thing please just move right along. May be OOC at times. This is the first real story I'm posting without it being finished. So if you have any ideas or suggestions I will take them into consideration. Enjoy!

~~~~~NCIS~~~~

~Present Time~

To be honest, Gibbs didn't know why he was doing this, why he was standing alone in his basement, tearing himself apart from the inside out, while his soulmate ran from his house. Why couldn't he ever just do one thing right?

~1 Week Earlier~

Gibbs sat at his desk rubbing his temples as his team talked around him. He was so not in the mood for their antics today. It wasn't their faults; normally he loved listening to their conversations, even if he didn't act like it. He was just really stressed out. He had accepted an invitation to a masquerade party that evening. He knew he should've said no, but Tobias just wouldn't let him. Gibbs didn't even really know the guy who was throwing the party. But Fornell had said that he had told his crazy ex that he had already had someone to go with him and that someone was Gibbs. Gibbs reluctantly agreed, but only as a favor to his friend. Nothing else! So he'd bought a mask that was mostly blues and blacks and had feathers on it but not too many so that it looked over-the-top. He would wear that and his simple black suit with a blue shirt to match the mask. He hated parties and everyone knew it. So when Vance heard Gibbs was going he couldn't help but ruffle the guy's feathers about it. It would definitely be interesting to see how Gibbs would act at this party, that is if he could pick the man out from all the other masked people.

"Boss?" a concerned voice called over to him.

He looked up and saw the deep green eyes of Tony looking at him with concern.

"You okay?"

Gibbs just nodded and stood up. It was almost 17:00 and since they weren't on a hot case, Gibbs decided he was done. He turned off his computer and grunted, "Going home. See you tomorrow."

His three agents said their goodbyes behind him. He had three hours until the party. He only needed fifteen minutes to get ready, twenty if he took a shower, but he decided he would do some work down in his basement to help calm him down before going.

~~~~NCIS~~~~

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Gibbs growled as he and Tobias pulled up to the mansion where the party was. It was decorated with balloons and lights.

"Oh come on Jethro," Tobias rolled his eyes, "You and I both know you need to get out more. Hell, everyone who knows you knows you need to get out more. Now, don't glare at me! Look, just stay for two hours and then, if you're not having fun, we'll leave."

Gibbs grumbled in agreement and got out of the car. He put on his mask as he and Fornell walked up to the house. The door was left open, welcoming anyone who came, and they walked right in. The party was already filled with loud music and loud people. People were everywhere, on the dance floor, by the door, on the porch, in chairs off to the side, by a long table that had all kinds of food on it, and on the large staircase opposite the door. Fornell looked at Gibbs and held up his cell phone, signaling that when Gibbs wanted to leave he could call him. Gibbs nodded, and Fornell went off to join some people that he recognized worked for the FBI. Not everyone had their masks on. Gibbs decided, he'd keep his on so that no one would see him here, and headed towards the food table. He grabbed a beer and started to sip it as he watched the crowd.

"Well I'll be damned. You actually showed up," said a deep voice by his side. He looked to see Leon Vance smiling at him.

"How'd ya know it was me?" Gibbs asked with a smirk.

"Oh, I'd recognize that straight-back body posture anywhere Gibbs," Vance chuckled. "So have you seen anyone else from the agency here?"

"I didn't know anyone was coming besides you Leon."

Leon opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by someone calling his name. His wife, Jackie, was standing not too far away, motioning the dance floor with her head. Leon smiled and winked at Gibbs before going to lead her out into the crowd of dancers. They stayed on the outside, and Gibbs continued to watch them. He liked Leon's wife a lot; she was demanding and the take-no-nonsense kind but also very welcoming and a great mother to their kids. They made a good couple, and Jackie seemed to be the only one who could breach through Leon's stubborn and cold shell. He'd seen beyond that façade when he was around the two of them, and thought Jackie was the complement to Leon; they bring out the best in each other. As he watched them, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous but mostly sad. He missed Shannon every day. Thankfully with time and the presence of his family at NCIS, he had learned to deal with his grief. He'd spent too long and too much energy hiding them from everyone and pretending they never existed, trying to force their memories from his mind and trying to replace Shannon. He knew that he would probably never have love again, and that was okay. He wasn't alone anymore. He had Ducky, Abby, Ziva, McGee, and Tony. And even Vance and Palmer. They were his family now, and he wouldn't leave them for anything.

"Those two make a good couple, don't they?" a voice next to him said.

He turned and saw a tall, lean man in a black suit, green undershirt, and simple, completely green mask standing there. The man turned his face to look at Gibbs with a smile, and Gibbs couldn't help but gasp. The man's green eyes were stunningly bright. The mask was bringing out their color, illuminating them. Gibbs was captivated. In his past, he had had attractions to men. He still did every now and then, but he never touched, not since he'd developed an insane amount of attraction towards a man that was unobtainable, a man who'd been his partner/best friend at NCIS for over ten years now, a man who flirted with every hot woman he met and was so obviously straight. Tony DiNozzo. And since Gibbs couldn't have him, he didn't want anyone else either. Before he'd met Tony, he'd had a few male fuck buddies, but that's all they were. Now as he stared into the bright green eyes of the man in front of him, Gibbs may just have to break his own rule. He smiled and answered, "Yah. They do."

"Wanna join them?" the man held out his hand.

Not seeing a reason not to, he nodded and gave the man his hand. The green-eyed man smiled brightly and led him to the dance floor. There was a fast song on at the moment, so the green-eyed man gave Gibbs his backside and pressed against it. Gibbs held on to the other man's hips and followed his motions. They weren't the only ones doing this, so he didn't feel dirty doing so. As the songs played, Gibbs and the man gyrated and danced. Gibbs even stayed when 'Cotton Eyed Joe' came on and the crowd started doing the dance for the song. The other man smiled and laughed. Gibbs couldn't help but smile and laugh back; he was having fun, and the other man was good company. After 'Cotton Eyed Joe' ended, they laughed with each other for no reason and held hands as they left the dance floor for drinks.

"God!" the other man said, "I haven't had this much fun in years!"

Gibbs laughed, "Me neither."

"Why's that? You have a gorgeous laugh. You should share that with others."

Gibbs hoped the mask hid his blush as he said, "Got a tough job. Kinda hard to laugh most of the time."

The other man nodded, "I feel ya there. My job involves dead people, murderers, and lots of people doing the wrong things. I try to help my coworkers stay out of the darkness that comes with the job. My boss doesn't really appreciate it."

Gibbs frowned as the man suddenly sounded sad, "I bet he does; he just can't admit it."

The other man smiled brightly. Just then 'The Cha Cha' came on and the other man exclaimed, "Oh my God! I'm so good at this! Come on!" Without waiting for Gibbs to agree and put his drink down, the other man grabbed his hand and pulled him back to the dance floor. Gibbs loved watching the other man dance. When he moved his hips, it made Gibbs' breath catch in his throat. When the song was over, 'Almost Paradise' came on and the two men moved closer to share the slow dance. They each had one hand on the other's hip and the others grasping each other. They looked into each other's eyes as they turned and stepped. Gibbs knew it was silly to say, but he felt himself feeling something for the other man. There was a stirring in his stomach every time they shared a laugh or a touch. And now, as blue eyes looked into green, Gibbs' heart was thumping hard. Something was happening between them, and Gibbs wasn't sure what it was.

The other man pulled them even closer so he could hug Gibbs to him. The man was slightly taller so Gibbs rested his head on his shoulder, tilting it slightly. The slow song ended and became a fast song but neither man seemed to notice; they were too content to pull away. Gibbs took a chance and turned to whisper in the green-eyed man's ear, "I'm really attracted to you."

The man chuckled and whispered back, "I really wanna kiss you."

"So what are you waiting for?"

Without wasting any more time, the man quickly pressed his lips to Gibbs'. Gibbs sighed into the kiss as his heart leapt, his stomach clenched, and he swore fireworks were launched. Cheesy, yes, but that's what he felt. He grasped onto the man's neck, pulling him impossibly closer while the other man's hands were clenching the back of Gibbs' suit as the kiss heated up. Gibbs was glad for the loud music otherwise the people around them would hear Gibbs faint moans. Just this one, simple, heated make-out session was getting him all hot and bothered. He knew it was beyond hinky that he was making out with a man whose name he didn't even know; he couldn't think beyond the kiss to what more he wanted. Finally, the kiss had stolen all air the men had in their lungs and they needed to part to breathe. Both men rested their foreheads together as they panted.

At exactly the same time, they both said, "You're a good kisser!" and chuckled because of it.

Gibbs was blushing from the leftover heat from the kiss. He was suddenly parched. This time, he grabbed the green-eyed man's hand and led him to the drinks. They went to a nearby table and sat down close to and facing one another. As they drank, they just smiled and looked into the other's eyes. Then Gibbs couldn't resist anymore; he leaned over and pressed his lips back to the other man's. He hummed as Gibbs grabbed on to his hair and pulled him closer. Gibbs fought the urge to moan when a warm hand was placed on his upper thigh.

When oxygen once again ran out, the green-eyed man pulled away and panted, "I wish there weren't so many people so I could get that mask and suit off you."

Gibbs laughed in agreement and looked around. There were actually a lot less people than earlier. Gibbs looked at his watch and realized nearly four hours had passed since he'd arrived. There was no ending time for the party and, by the look of things, people were still going to be here for awhile, which made him smile. He wasn't one to do this sort of thing usually, but right now he couldn't care less. The other man was making Gibbs' heart and dick react in ways it hadn't in many years. He had an idea as his eyes landed on the staircase. He smiled mischievously and leaned to whisper in the man's ear, "I'll go scope out the upstairs and see if I can find us a place?"

The green eyes he was quickly becoming to memorize flashed with arousal and approval, and he nodded rapidly. Gibbs stood up and turned to go but the man grabbed his hand. Gibbs looked down at his pleading eyes. "I'll come with you," he said. Gibbs just nodded and pulled the man with him by the hand toward the stairs. They took the stairs two at a time and looked for the first available room. Apparently the host had prepared for this, as all the bedroom doors were locked. As were most of the other rooms. One bathroom at the end of the hall was open, but they both shook their heads. They didn't want to deny a party full of drink-filled people the bathroom. When they were about to give up, they found an unlocked closet. Gibbs smirked and pulled the man in with him, closing the door behind them. They were left in darkness and, when Gibbs found the light switch and flicked it, the bulb proved broken. "Guess we'll have to do this in the dark," Gibbs panted.

"Fine by me," the man got out before he forced Gibbs against the door and found his lips. They made out heavily, hands roaming up and down the other's body. Their erections were pressed together making the temperature of both men and the closet increase. All that could be heard was their panting, their wet lips moving together, and the faint beat of the music downstairs. Gibbs wanted more. He unbuttoned the other man's suit and pulled his shirt out of his pants. He slid his hands under the fabric and ran his nails along his sides. The man gasped loudly and pulled away to pant in Gibbs' ear. Gibbs took the opportunity to taste more of his skin and licked down his neck. The man started shaking when Gibbs reached his collarbone so Gibbs kissed it. He whimpered. Gibbs opened his mouth and bit the skin just above the area, causing the man to hiss. Gibbs sucked harder (just to be sure he marked the man) before licking it to soothe the pain. Then he ran his tongue up the other side of his neck until he was behind his ear. He flicked the lobe with his tongue and nibbled on it.

"Oh God!" the man gasped and jerked his hips forward.

Gibbs smirked, "Two sweet spots in such a short amount of time."

"Damn you," the man laughed breathily.

Gibbs chuckled before he returned to his ear and repeated his actions. The man made a pained noise as he tried to be quiet. The noise sounded vaguely familiar but he forgot it as his erection was grinded against even rougher. Turning the tables, the other man reached down to cup Gibbs' cock through his pants. Gibbs moaned and thrusted forward. While he was distracted, the other man used his other hand to unbutton his suit and lift his shirt from his pants and slid it under. He reached until he found Gibbs' nipple and ran his nails over the hard nub. Gibbs gasped. He loved having his nipples played with. The only thing he loved more (besides actual touching of his cock) was- "Oh shit!" Gibbs gasped as suddenly his ass was grabbed and squeezed. He pressed his ass closer to the hands and started shaking when the squeezing happened again.

"Looks like we're even," the man's voice whispered tauntingly in his ear.

Gibbs couldn't register a response as the man massaged his ass.

They both moved to recapture each other's lips. The soft feeling of his lips shot a fire of desire through Gibbs. He wanted a hell of a lot more. They rubbed their erections together again, getting a moan from both guys. Then with a flash of movement, Gibbs forced them around so the other man's back was pressed against the door. He gasped into Gibbs' mouth but did not stop his lips' feast on Gibbs'. Feeling an overpowering need to take the man's cock in his mouth, he fiddled with his belt and button. The younger man was suddenly shaking as Gibbs' hand slid down into his pants and cupped his hard-on through his boxers. Not wanting to misunderstand, Gibbs pulled away to asked through breaths, "Can I suck your cock?"

He took in a sharp breath, "You really don't even have to ask!"

Gibbs immediately dropped to his knees and unwrapped the long cock. It popped out and hit him in the nose so Gibbs nuzzled it. "Ohh," the man moaned. Gibbs flicked out his tongue and lapped up the precum dripping from his head. He hummed at the taste. The other man's hands grabbed Gibbs' hair but didn't force him forward, so Gibbs took his time tasting the cock. It had been so long since he'd tasted another man's dick, and he distinctly remembered it never tasting this good. He opened his mouth and wrapped his lips around the head, only moving his head slightly as he lapped up more precum and slid his tongue smoothly into the slit. The man groaned again and must've thrown his head back against the door because Gibbs heard a slight thud. His hand gripped the thighs in front of him, and he clawed the other man's butt. Then without any further adu, he swallowed the cock whole.

"Fuck!" the man gasped.

Gibbs swallowed a few times as his throat adjusted then he slowly pulled away until just the head was covered with his mouth. He then moved up and down the cock, sucking and licking with all his might, even twisting his head a few times.

In a shaky whisper, the man said, "You're so good at this. I'm close."

Hearing that, Gibbs started moving and down as fast as he could.

"Yes!"

The man's hips started jerking uncontrollably. Gibbs let it happen, taking the cock more and more into his throat. Finally wanting it all, he impaled himself on the cock and grabbed onto the man's balls with one hand. With a loud moan, the man unleashed himself down Gibbs' throat. Gibbs swallowed it all and even pumped him with his hand a few times to get even more. As the man recovered, Gibbs lifted his boxers and pants and tucked his limp dick back inside. He went to lean for another lazy kiss as the man recovered, but a loud voice came from the host downstairs saying it was the last dance.

With a smile, Gibbs helped the man by zipping up his pants and redoing the belt. He couldn't care less that they both probably looked like they'd been busy, with their flushed faces, messy hair, and shirts untucked. Not to mention that he was still sporting a tent in his pants and, since it'd be left not dealt with, he'd probably have a mad case of blue ball syndrome and be a total grump the next few days even if he did handle himself. But he didn't care. All he wanted to end this amazing night was the last dance. So hurriedly, he grabbed the man's hand and pulled him behind him back to the dance floor. He noted that off by the corner of the dance floor was Fornell, holding a young, skinny man to him as they danced. He smirked, they'd both probably have blue ball syndrome the next few days.

"You rushed me down here for the last dance?" his own companion asked.

Gibbs turned to face him and twirled him before pulling him to his body. He gave the man a soft smile and said shyly, "Yah, I did. Not usually the romantic type… This okay?"

The green eyes sparkled with pleasure and he nodded before resting his head on Gibbs' shoulder. They held each other in silence as they flowed with the music. Then the man said quietly, "You know. We don't even know each other' names…" He trailed off as if afraid to ask what it was.

Gibbs chuckled, "I noticed that earlier." He paused, thinking. There was no reason not to give his real name other then the fact that he didn't really want anyone knowing he was here. Being gay or even bi as a cop could be really risky. Sure, there were some people that didn't care; the world was changing and more and more people were accepting of gays. But there were also cases when people felt uncomfortable. Changing and working out with others would most likely be out of the question. There were people that would hate you just for that reason. And in those moments when Gibbs and his team were working with other agents, teams, and agencies, that could mean the homophobes not covering your six and some serious hell breaking lose.

He didn't really think his team in particular was like that. He knew that Ziva had had to compromise women when she was in Mossad, and, though that wasn't exactly what her preferences were, she had nothing against it. Abby, well Abby was accepting of everybody; at least until she found out they killed animals or lied to her or hurt the people she loved. Ducky was the same; he was a very open minded guy for his age. Gibbs was sure Palmer was definitely at least bi- or he had married Breena because he just wasn't admitting to that part of himself then. Fornell was bi- though after Diane, his preferences went mostly towards men. Tim was opened minded and didn't have problems with gays; he was even Dorneget's wingman and helped the probie-agent to get some men of his own. Tony made a lot of gay jokes, but he too didn't seem to be against it. Vance, now he was tricky; he personally didn't care, but professionally he didn't seem to think homosexuality and a federal agency were a good mix. Upon some uproar from several NCIS agents, he'd fired two agents for being gay in the past, giving them a new job to go to but firing them nonetheless without much of a battle. Gibbs knew most people outside his team were afraid of him, but he didn't think that would stop them from wanting him gone if anyone were to find out. So here he was, dancing with a man, whom he'd hooked up with, and who wanted to know his name. It seemed wrong somehow to hide it from him, but he just couldn't bring himself to be all that open, not even for something as simple as his name. Compromise gave him the answer. "Call me LJ."

"Nice to meet you LJ," the man chuckled, "My name's T."

Gibbs realized he wasn't the only who was afraid to be identified and was relieved. The music came to a stop, and the DJ thanked everyone for support and tips and told them to drive safely. The couples that were left slowly broke apart. Gibbs was suddenly sad as he slowly let T go. Judging by the sadness in those green eyes, T felt the same way. He leaned in for one last kiss; one that T seemed happy to go along with. He felt his stomach clench when they finally pulled away. He barely knew the man, yet he had never felt so depressed about never seeing him again. T looked over Gibbs' shoulder and tipped his head in greeting before holding up one finger, motioning to someone he'd be there in a minute. Then the green eyes were looking back at Gibbs. "I had a really good time tonight LJ. Most fun I've had in a long time," he smiled sadly.

"Same here," then he held out his hand and said, "Thanks for the one of the most amazing nights I've ever had." He winked.

The man smiled and shook his hand, "Thank you. Well, goodbye."

Gibbs' hand felt ice cold all of a sudden as the man let go, smiled at him sadly once again, and walked away from him without looking back. He met the skinny guy Fornell had been dancing with at the door and both men left. Suddenly Fornell was beside him. "You have as good of a night as I did?"

Gibbs nodded, "Better."

~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS

Note: hello all! So I know that a lot of you were kind of concerned that Gibbs and Tony didn't realize who the other was in the last chapter. And while I do agree that they probably would've noticed, this is just a story. A little imagination is involved. It was meant to be mysterious and romantic despite the probability that the real Gibbs and Tony would probs notice the other. However, just for y'all I've put in a few reasons why Gibbs' judgment may not have been as top-mark as it normal would be. They may not be good excuses but again, for the sake of the story use a little imagination. Again, this story is not completely written; I really only have like a skeleton of the plot, though I do have the bulk of the next part written, so anything you wanna say, go right ahead. Thanks for reading!

~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~

Gibbs awoke the next morning with his head throbbing. Had he really had that much alcohol last night? He tried to recall how many drinks he'd had. He'd had at least four beers, at least two full cups of bourbon, and a Jack and Coke. He knew his limits and that definitely had not been it. But perhaps, combined with the throbbing of the music and the fact that he wasn't as young as he used to be when he would drink that much, was just enough to give him a slight hangover. He sat up on his couch and held his pounding head in his hands. He hadn't slept well last night either. He had dreamed of the man, of T. He hadn't really noticed at the time, but there was something oddly familiar about him; he just couldn't place it. Maybe if he had paid better attention… But the music had been loud, the alcohol plentiful. He'd never had so much fun with someone only hours after meeting them. He'd been completely out of character and out of his comfort zone. All those things combined could've prevented him from remembering if he'd met the green-eyed man before.

He growled to himself. That was no excuse! He was supposed to be an investigator, one of the best. He shouldn't have let his guard down so much. It was stupid and irresponsible. He'd passed up the chance to figure out who T was. He tried to think back over the night. It wasn't that he couldn't remember anything; he remembered it all, but he just couldn't figure out why the man had seemed so familiar. The drumbeat being played in his head increased the more his thoughts swarmed. He took a deep breath and gave up thinking so hard. It was Saturday, and he and his team were on call. He wanted to feel as normal as possible in case he got a call from dispatch.

He got off his couch and headed towards the bathroom. He opened the cabinets and found the Ibuprofen. He popped down two pills before turning to switch on the shower. He shed his clothing as he waited for the room to fill with steam before stepping in. The hot water ran over his tense skin, soothing his headache and calming his thoughts. He knew that if he kept thinking so hard about who T really could be, he'd drive himself crazy. He wouldn't let it go of course, but he'd put the thought in the back of his mind for the time being and come back to it later. Like when he would work on one of his boats and they wouldn't behave the way he wanted. It would most likely be because it was 3 or 4 in the morning and his mind and body were too tired to get the wood to do his bidding. He'd be frustrated and he'd start growling at the wood for not listening to him. Then he'd realize he just needed to rest and would try again later to find that the woodwork went smoothly from then on. This was no different. He was too tired, too distracted by his headache to think clearly. He'd clear his mind, he'd think about other things, and it would come to him later… He hoped.

Unfortunately, as he forced the thoughts to the back of his mind, he started to remember the fun they'd had in the closet. He remembered the making out, his pride when he'd found that T liked having his ear lobe played with, the way his heart pounded with arousal as his ass was grabbed. Instantly, he noticed his cock had gone hard, the fact that he'd gone with coming fueling his arousal. Without thinking twice, he wrapped his hand around his hard member and placed the other flat against the wall. As he remembered how he'd turned them around and pressed T's back against the door, he started moving his hand up and down and his head fell forward. He thought about how, when he'd pulled T's pants and boxers down, his cock popped out and hit him in the face. He remembered the taste of his precum, the sounds he'd made when Gibbs started sucking. Gibbs had never loved the taste of another man's cock so much before as he'd forced it down his throat. As Gibbs recalled how the man had finally come down his throat, he felt his own orgasm quickly approaching. He pumped himself with all his might and finally came with a groan.

He stood there for a moment as he came down from his high. When he recovered, he realized he felt a little less tense. He rinsed himself once last time before he turned the water off. He grabbed a towel and dried off. He wiped the steam from the mirror and looked at his reflection as he brushed his teeth. Yup, he definitely felt better than he had earlier. He went to the master bedroom (the one that used to be his and Shannon's) and pulled out some clothes. He went for a casual pair of jeans that were smeared with paint and finish and his grey USMC t-shirt. Next he headed down to the basement, determined to distract himself with some wood work. Currently, he was working on a mirror-dresser combo for Fornell's daughter Emily. It was mostly finished and would most definitely be ready in time for the little girl's birthday. He only had some last minute carving to do on the body, the drawers needed to be mounted on the hinges, and the mirror set in place. He found it hard to believe the girl he considered his niece was already turning 8 years old.

A few hours passed and he'd just finished the dresser when his phone rang. He went to his desk to grab it and groaned as he read the caller ID for dispatch. He listened as the man told him the details before hanging up. Then he pressed speed dial number 1 and held it to his ear.

After three rings, the tired-sounding voice of his SIC answered, "Hey Boss."

"Got a case. Dead Admiral and his wife at their home in downtown D.C."

Tony groaned which made Gibbs chuckle. "Don't laugh!" Tony pretended to be offended, "I had a really… weird night."

Gibbs rolled his eyes but was smiling his signature half smile, "Well get out of bed. Call the team. Don't have all day."

"Yes we do," Tony's whine sounded muffled, "They're dead. They're not going anywhere."

"Up DiNozzo!"

"Alright alright… Okay, I'm up. I'm heading into my bathroom. See?" he turned on the water to the sink. Then his words became jumbled by the toothbrush in his mouth, "All caw uh eam ah oon ah I ush mah eet en go get the tuck."

Translation: "I'll call the team as soon as I brush my teeth and go get the truck."

"See you there," Gibbs said then hung up. Then he opened a text and sent the address to Tony, McGee, and Ziva. He quickly called Ducky and told him the situation and address as well. He put off the older man's questions about the party, telling him he'd tell him later, before hanging up. He really didn't need to lose his focus from his job by thinking about the party and T.

~~~~~NCIS~~~~~

The crime scene he walked into a bit gruesome. The naval Admiral and his wife had been cut up pretty badly in their living room with what Gibbs thought was probably an axe judging by the size and shape of all the wounds. There was a lot of blood everywhere and it looked like the wife had tried to crawl towards the phone before succumbing to her wounds. Gibbs would have to wait for the rest of his team to start really looking around. He had been at the scene for twenty minutes before the rest of his team showed up in the NCIS truck. Being the impatient man he is, he immediately walked over, interrupting a lighthearted argument as they blamed each other for being late, and started ordering them to their places. "McGee, DiNozzo get the crime scene. Ziva interview the housekeeper; she only speaks Spanish. Where's Ducky?"

As if that summoned the ME, the medical truck pulled up behind the MCRT truck. Immediately a cross Ducky and a frustrated Palmer hopped out. "Sorry we're late Jethro! Mister Palmer STILL has an inability to read maps!" Ducky shot his assistant a glare.

"I can read a map just fine Doctor Mallard! It's just hard to concentrate on the road when you're constantly picking on my driving skills! We wouldn't even need a map if you'd just let me use the GPS on my iPhone!"

"It is unprofessional to bring a phone to a crime scene Mister Palmer!"

"It's also unprofessional to show up late to a crime scene!"

"Well whose fault is that?"

Not being able to take anymore, he whistled over the arguing pair. He swore they argued like two ex-significant-others. "How 'bout you focus on being professional now that you're here?"

Ducky and Palmer nodded and fell into doing their jobs. Gibbs shook his head to himself. Sometimes he felt like he worked with children. Thankfully, his team had started doing their jobs. Ziva was in the front yard listening as the housekeeper talked rapidly. He followed the medical pair into the house, just to make sure he would break up any argument that might happen. Like he said, children.

~~~~~NCIS~~~~~

It was now late afternoon on Monday and they still hadn't solved the case. There was a shockingly low amount of suspects. The Barton's had clearly not been robbed as nothing was missing from their house or wallets. Whoever had murdered them must've worn gloves and booties because there were no fingerprints or clues anywhere. Not even on the bloody axe DiNozzo and McGee had found hidden in some bushes in the backyard of the house. It gave them all the impression that either their murderer was very smart and cunning or, more likely according to Gibbs' gut, had knowledge of all police procedure of a crime scene. Also, taking into account that the house was not broken into and there was a lack of defensive wounds, told the team the Barton's may have known their assailant.

Gibbs was turning scary, determined to bring justice to whomever had killed such a happy, likeable couple. He was on one of his one-track-mind kicks, thinking of nothing but the case. His team was exhausted and disappointed they couldn't seem to find any clues. It seemed to disturb them all that the older couple had been taken. Everyone they'd talked to so far had told them how much they'd liked George and Michelle Barton. They were kind, opening their house to some of their neighbors whom had lost their houses due to the economy. Mrs. Barton volunteered a lot of her time to a nearby orphanage and had been a foster mom for most of her years. Mr. Barton, when he wasn't called back for duty, hosted many neighborhood barbeques and offered food to those who'd had to cut back when money started becoming scarce. The only reason they hadn't been affected was because both were children of very rich parents and had inherited millions each. They never let the money affect them. They'd been high school sweethearts and had gone to college. They'd wanted a child of their own but Mrs. Barton had some kind of condition to make it impossible for her to conceive. Because of this, a lot of people, adults and kids alike, saw their neighbors as their parents or grandparents. Everyone was horrified by their deaths. Making the team wonder why two people who were so good could be killed in such a manner.

Gibbs was worried this case would have to be moved to the cold case stack when finally McGee jumped up from his desk. "Ah! Boss! I found something!" he shouted.

Immediately, the whole team was crowding the plasma as McGee put up what he found. When he started trying to explain how he'd found it, going on about some techno babble that Gibbs didn't understand, he barked, "McGee. I don't care. Just show us."

McGee nodded and clicked a key on his keyboard. Up popped a video that was clearly from a street camera. It was aimed at a few buildings, one being a bar, in front of which stood George Barton and another man. He was about 6 foot, brown hair, and seemed to be yelling at Barton. Barton didn't seem to yell back, but spoke calmly before walking away leaving the other man to stare after him. Gibbs' gut started churning. "Find him McGee."

"I already did Boss. Facial recognition says his name is Thomas Barton."

"We didn't find anything about him having any living relatives McGeek."

Gibbs head slapped him for interrupting. He made a pained noise and gave Gibbs a glare. The noise made him stop, but he didn't know why; Tony always made that noise

McGee prevented Gibbs from thinking more about it, "Yah. I know Tony, so I looked into that as well. I looked into Barton's parents; they gave birth to two sons. George and Thomas, the latter having gotten himself disowned when he was 17. Doesn't say why."

"Maybe the brother was not satisfied with the parents' decision to give Barton all the money," suggested Ziva.

"Where McGee?"

"I've already got the address on the GPS," said McGee as they all grabbed their gear and hustled towards the elevator.

~~~~~NCIS~~~~~

Once they caught and interrogated the brother, it was relatively easy to get the truth out of him. He had spent almost the entire time since he'd been disowned staying away from his family. The parents had disowned him because he was a "problem child". He snuck out at night, ditched school, would disappear for days with his friends, did drugs, and got a 16 year old girl pregnant. When he'd gone so far as to steal all their money and most valuable jewelry in order to buy the drugs, they'd finally had enough and told him to get out. He left and they disowned him the next day. He never talked to his parents again and only rarely kept in touch with George until they died. But then once he found out George was to get everything and he would get nothing, he was furious. He'd felt that they owed him at least some of the money. So he went to see George, asking for a few thousand. He knew that George didn't trust him; he was still doing drugs and was addicted to gambling. George knew he'd just used the money for things like that and wouldn't agree. Thomas yelled at him but George just left. Not wanting to believe the subject was over, he went to their home. When George continued to deny him the money, he became enraged and killed them.

It didn't matter that Gibbs had seen this before, that he knew people killed for less; he was disgusted at the man for killing his brother and his wife for something as stupid as money. He was happy the man would rot in jail for life. And he was glad to be home again. He'd needed the break. And so did the team. Once again, he was proud of them. Especially McGee who'd found the video and identified the brother in the first place. He had to admit that sometimes that techie stuff came in handy.

After he'd gotten home and eaten some leftover pizza for dinner and started doing laundry, he went back over the day to that noise that Tony had made, the noise that made him stop in his tracks. He wondered why it'd seemed so shocking. Then suddenly it hit him. The moan Tony had made while on the phone before the case started too clicked into place. And the reason why T had seemed so familiar to him. _Tony was T!_

As the memories of the noises T had made when Gibbs had sucked his cock, the noises Tony made just in the last few days but also since he'd known him, appeared before his eyes, Gibbs froze in shock. He didn't bother wondering if that could possibly be true (though it did seem extremely unbelievable) because he just KNEW. He was just sure of it. He didn't know why exactly he was so convinced he was right; he just was. Instead a plethora of other questions entered his mind. What had Tony been doing at the party? Why hadn't Gibbs known he was going to be there? Who was that skinny guy Tony left with? How could Gibbs possibly have not noticed it was Tony in the first place? And most importantly, why the hell had Tony done everything that he did WITH A MAN, with Gibbs? Was Tony gay? Bi? Was it a one-time thing that he'd never done before? How had Tony not realized it was Gibbs? Or did he?

Gibbs was sure that, if it were physical possible, his head would have exploded. The team would be called in and Ducky would have to scrape his brain matter of the walls.

What the hell was he supposed to do now? Gibbs thought he wanted Tony before, but now, after remembering the strong connection he'd felt towards him, where did that leave his feelings? Well, he was pretty sure he had an idea of where that left his feelings; he just didn't really want to think too much into it. He couldn't afford to love Tony! His best friend besides Ducky and Fornell, his Senior Field Agent, his Second in Command. Even if by some miracle Tony did like men; there was no possible way he could like an old, grumpy man like Gibbs. Right?

One thing was for sure. Gibbs needed answers, and he needed them soon. Now, if that were possible! But how…? He couldn't just go to Tony and say, "Hey. You know that party the other night? … Yah, that one. Well that guy that you danced with a lot and kissed and received a blowjob from? Yah, that was me. Oh, and as if that weren't enough of a bombshell, I also think I'm in love with you." Yah. That would go over real well… Tony would probably run away screaming and flee the country, never to return. No. He had to find some other way to get answers. He could be subtle and ask Tony some questions starting with "What did you do last Friday night?" and then go from there. But he didn't do subtle very well. And it would probably be suspicious considering Gibbs never asked Tony what he'd done over a weekend; he simply didn't care all that much, nor did he particularly want hear about all the lucky women who'd gotten a chance with him. Tony was smart, surely he would notice if Gibbs was suddenly interested. So that was out. He could figure out who the man Tony had left with was. Though now that he was thinking about it, he was pretty sure it had been Palmer. So he could corner Palmer and make him tell what details he knew. But he liked the young ME Assistant; he didn't want to give him a heart attack. Nor did he want to force him to betray Tony's trust. Tony had enough trouble trusting as it was. And Ducky would surely ream him out for causing his assistant pain and humiliation. Not to mention that if he was wrong and it hadn't been Palmer, then he would out Tony to someone and that would be horrible. So yah, that was out too.

That left him with one option, an option that he didn't see any major downfalls with, so tomorrow he'd put it into action and hopefully get his answers. Feeling centered as he focused on his determination, he planned out each step to his plan as he continued to fold his laundry.


End file.
